Galatians 2:4 But it
was because of the false brethren
secretly brought in,

who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we
have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into
bondage. (NASB)

Galatians 2:4 And that because of false
brethren unawares brought in,

who
came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have
in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: (KJV)

The context of this passage is when Paul went to
Jerusalem to meet with the Apostles and he was addressing the Judaizers who were bringing in legalistic heresy by adding
works to salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.These men, not unlike their counterparts
today, were “hypocrites.
They were actors pretending to be Christian, but they were not. They, in
effect, wore a mask or a religious costume, and imitated the speech of true
Christians, learning all the Christian words like an actor playing a role. They
gave the outward appearance of being godly, but inwardly they were ungodly.”
(Mike Storti, False Brethren)We
know that the apostles themselves were almost duped by these ideas and if it
weren’t for Paul and Tutus we would likely have a different version of
Christianity today.Jewish false brethren
believed that followers of Christ must be circumcised as per the Law of
Moses.They had ignored what Jesus
stated at the Last Supper:

Luke 22:20 And in the same wayHe
tookthe cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is
thenewcovenantin My
blood.

Hebrews 8:13 When He said, “Anewcovenant,” He has made the first obsolete.But
whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

When we were studying Galatians in our Sunday school
class I noticed a part of this passage I had apparently glossed over in
teaching this for many years.The part
that lit up for me was where it is said that “false brethren” were “secretly
brought in”.They were brought in!As to who brought them in there is only
speculation today.Perhaps it was James
but there is no agreement on that.I
have not been able to find any commentaries that name a person who did this but
John Gill gives a prescient observation:

Unawares
brought in. The word rendered "unawares" pareisaktouv is
derived from a verb meaning to lead in by the side of others, to introduce
along with others; and then to lead or bring in by stealth, to smuggle in.—Robinson, Lex.
The verb occurs nowhere in the New Testament but in 2 Pet.
2:1,
where it is applied to heresies, and is rendered, "who privily
shall bring in." Here it refers probably to men who had been artfully
introduced into the ministry, who made pretensions to piety, but who were
either strangers to it, or who were greatly ignorant of the true nature of the
Christian system; and who were disposed to take every advantage, and to impose
on others the observance of the peculiar rites of the Mosaic economy. Into what they were brought, the
apostle does not say. It may have been that they had been introduced into the
ministry in this manner —Doddridge
or it may be that they were introduced into the "assembly" where the
apostles were collected to deliberate on the subject.—Chandler. I think it
probable that Paul refers to the occurrences in Jerusalem, and that these false
brethren had been introduced from
Antioch or some other place where Paul had been preaching, or that they were
persons whom his adversaries had introduced to demand that Titus should be
circumcised, under the plausible
pretence that the laws of Moses required it, but really in order that there
might be such proof as they desired that this rite was to be imposed on the
Gentile converts. If Paul was compelled to submit to this, if they could
carry this point, it would be just such an instance as they needed, and would
settle the whole inquiry, and prove that the Mosaic laws were to be imposed on
the Gentile converts. This was the reason why Paul so strenuously opposed it.
(John Gill Commentary, Gal. 2:4)

The point that came to my mind is that, in many cases,
false teachers have to be “brought in” by someone to the churches.This has always been the case in my
experience.There is always someone or a
group of people who have been misled by false teaching who then get others in
their churches to read certain books, watch certain TV programs, or go to
“revival” meetings to “experience” new revelation for themselves.This is because, at the least, they lack
discernment or, at the most, they have fully accepted another Jesus, a
different gospel and/or a different spirit (2 Cor. 11:4). Years ago, before I
became aware of the heresies of Word of Faith and the Third Wave, I was almost
taken in by a few people who kept giving me books by Rick Joyner and Francis
Frangipane and even ordered me a subscription to Morningstar Magazine.But eventually I began to have very mixed
feelings about what they were writing and fortunately sought out the counsel of
the Bible through the Holy Spirit and of discerning people I respected.It was there, from the Word, that I was able
to distinguish good from evil (Heb. 5:14) and right
from wrong (Eph. 4:13).

As church leadership we obviously need to be aware of any
false teaching coming in, but just as importantly we need to be aware of those
who brought it in.Both parties share
responsibility in the introduction of heresy to the local church.Sometimes Christian leaders focus on the
false teaching and are able to eliminate that leaven before it takes hold, but
sometimes they subsequently forget to deal with those who brought it in.In so doing they are, perhaps unwittingly,
leaving the door open for leaven to remain and multiply again.I have also seen that Christian leadership is
sometimes afraid to confront a “Christian” if they have been a member of a
church for a long time.They don’t want
to rock the boat so they say nothing, perhaps hoping that over time that person
will see the error of their ways.But
that is rarely the case unless the person or group has been talked to about
what they did and the sin is exposed, either to their repentance or continued
support of the false brethren.

By the way, false brethren need to be tested, then
avoided, and named as false teachers (see my study on 2 John,
http://op.50megs.com/ditc/2johnstudy.pdf). Are there really false brethren who
are either invited or slip into the churches?Here are some instances from the Bible:

2 Corinthians 11:26 I have beenon
frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers frommy
countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the
wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers
amongfalsebrethren;

Romans 16:17 Now I
urge you,brethren,
keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the
teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

2 Peter 2:1But false prophets
also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among
you, who willsecretlyintroduce destructive heresies,
even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon
themselves.

The goal of the true
Christian leader is to be a watchman over God’s flock, and bring the strays
back to the fold.

Ezekiel 33:6-7
But if thewatchmansees the sword coming and
does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken
away in his iniquity; but his blood I
will require from thewatchman’s hand. Now as for
you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchmanfor the house of Israel; so
you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me.

For the Church
today, you can use the above as a template for effective leadership in these
matters.Why are we to go after the
strays?That is our responsibility.

James 5:19-20 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him
back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his
way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

2 Corinthians 5:19 namely, that God was in
Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their
trespasses against them, and He has
committed to us the word of reconciliation.